Gym Accessories To Help You Lift Heavier

10 Gym Accessories To Help You Lift Heavier Weights

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We’ve all been to the gym and wondered what type of sorcery the guy in the corner has up his sleeve that he continually loads up the barbell with way more than you could ever imagine, yet is not much bigger than you. Sometimes it can come down to the accessories he’s using to improve his strength.

This article showcases 10 accessories that can help you make sizeable muscle gains as well as an improvement in your overall strength when utilized correctly. Have a weak grip? This article can help compensate! Sweaty hands? No problem! Maybe you have some nagging injuries or banged up joints? We have you covered! All of the items below can be found on Amazon and for your convenience a link will be provided for an example of each accessory mentioned.

1) Chalk

Chalk is an accessory that you would need to speak with the management of the gym about before using. In some gyms chalk is frowned upon due to the mess it creates, not only on the equipment, but also the floor.

When your hands become sweaty, it’s difficult to keep a firm grip on the barbell. The chalk absorbs the moisture (sweat) and allows you to once again have a secure hold on the barbell when performing an exercise.

Z-Athletic Chalk Ball

If your gym allows you to use chalk, a great brand to consider purchasing would be the Z-Athletic Chalk Ball. This chalk comes in the form of a ball inside a cotton sack. It helps minimize the mess generally associated with loose chalk by keeping it all confined so it doesn’t get all over the place in your gym bag.$12.82 at Amazon.com

Nelson Sports Dry Hands Ultimate Gripping Solution

If chalk is not permitted in your gym, consider using a liquid form instead. A great brand to look at would be a product by Nelson Sports called Dry Hands Ultimate Gripping Solution. This is a non-greasy, non-sticky liquid without the powdery mess. It gives you the same grip capability of chalk. It’s only a little bit more expensive but comes in an easy-to-use liquid form.$13.01 at Amazon.com

2) Gloves

There are those out there who make fun of people who wear workout gloves. They believe gloves are only for women to protect their delicate hands. Well, workout gloves actually have a purpose other than to help protect the hands from calluses, cuts and bruises. If you find your hands sweat a lot, it prevents you from maintaining a secure grip on the bar. Similar to above with chalk, the gloves allow you to have a dry and stable purchase when moving around heavy weights. With wet and slick hands, you risk losing your grip and injuring yourself. If you find yourself constantly wiping off your sweaty hands at the gym, gloves might just be the trick.

Harbinger Power Weightlifting Glove with StretchBack Mesh and Leather Palm

There are several brands and styles of gloves available on the market. For the sake of this article I’m going to narrow it down to two different types of gloves. The first glove is the Harbinger Power Weightlifting Glove with StretchBack Mesh and Leather Palm. This is a very basic glove that fits the hand well, is stretchy enough to not be too tight on the hand, yet gives amazing grip while exercising.$11.95 at Amazon.com

The second glove is the Harbinger Training-Grip Wristwrap Weightlifting Gloves with TechGel-Padded Leather Palm. These gloves kill two birds with one stone. Not only are they amazing weightlifting gloves, but they provide the user with a way to secure the glove in place that is actually a lifting strap (which we will talk about below). This glove protects your hands, improves your grip, and helps support your wrist when using heavy weights. This is a win-win if you’re in the market for gloves yet also want some stability for your wrists.$29.99 at Amazon.com

3) Straps

This gym accessory has been used for quite some time to help people use a heavier weight on certain exercises by improving grip. You can have a weak grip for several reasons. One reason would be that your hands are sweaty and your grip is compromised. Another reason why you could use straps would be due to weak forearms or grip strength. Through the use of straps, you are able to overload the muscle group you are looking to work.

Straps are formed when a piece of cloth is sewn onto itself to form a loop. The long end of the cloth is then passed through the loop and goes around your wrist. The loose piece of cloth can then be wrapped around the barbell, with your hand over top of the loose end to lock it into place.

Harbinger Big Grip No-Slip Nylon Lifting Straps with DuraGrip

The Harbinger Big Grip No-Slip Nylon Lifting Straps with DuraGrip are a great pair of straps that are very inexpensive. You get a set of two straps with the purchase and you can choose from a regular pair without any padding, a pair with padding for around your wrist, and then a pair that has a Velcro buckle to help keep a secure lock on your wrist, with a good amount of padding surrounding it for added comfort.$9.99 at Amazon.com

4) Weight Belts

Some might say weight belts are not needed and should be avoided, yet there are many cases where weight belts are very advantageous to use in order to lift heavy weights. They allow for better support for your lower back as well as helping increase the intra-abdominal pressure to help keep your core tight during the movement, such as during a squat. The downside to this would be that you really aren’t improving your core strength. With the belt, though, if you core isn’t strong enough yet, it allows for better pressure to be formed internally to protect your spine and keep it stabilized.

Valeo VRL 6-Inch Padded Leather Belt

When looking for a belt, I’d recommend skipping the nylon belts with the Velcro closure and opt for a leather one with a heavy duty buckling system. A pretty common leather belt that has been used for a very long time would be the Valeo VRL 6-Inch Padded Leather Belt. $69.99 at Amazon.com

Lever Buckle Powerlifting Belt

An example of a more high-tech belt would be the Lever Buckle Powerlifting Belt. This uses a lever locking system to allow for an extremely secure fit and closure.$54.95 at Amazon.com

5) Knee Wraps

Your knees are under a lot of stress during movements such as the squat. In order to protect the knees, many people use wraps. Wraps, however, don’t necessarily make you stronger. Knee wraps allow you to store energy in the elastic to help aid in the movement. For example, when squatting with knee wraps, in the bottom of the position, the stored energy in the tight wraps aid in helping your stand back up.

Harbinger Red Line 78-Inch Knee Wraps

If you’re looking to pick up a pair of knee wraps, Harbinger has a great pair available called the Red Line 78-Inch Knee Wraps that I would highly recommend. They are fairly inexpensive and very durable.$18.57 at Amazon.com

6) Wrist Wraps

A product primarily used for pressing and overhead movements, wrist wraps can allow you to push more weight — especially if you have weak wrists. If you’re looking for the best fit and comfort, elastic wraps are the way to go. In terms of durability, leather would win. However, in my opinion, you’re better off going with the elastic version over the leather. Worst case scenario: after a year or so you may have to replace the elastic version, but the good news is that they aren’t expensive. so for the sake of your comfort and a better fit, I’d invest in the elastic.

Evolutionize Wrist Wraps

A brand online that has been getting a lot of great reviews and feedback has been Evolutionize Wrist Wraps. They are 18-inch high grade nylon with good elasticity. $13.77 at Amazon.com

7) Weightlifting Shoes

It’s common for most people to walk into the gym with athletic or running shoes. You see brands like Nike, Under Armour, Adidas, and Reebok pounding the floor day in and day out. What some people don’t realize is that not all shoes are created equally when it comes to lifting heavy weights. Those soft and comfy shoes you are accustomed to wearing around town won’t do you much good when you’re getting under a barbell loaded up with a bunch of 45-pound plates.

Weightlifting shoes are built to be extremely rigid to provide a solid platform for exercises such as the squat. This rigidness allows the bones of the lower leg and ankle to stay aligned to help produce more force through the movement. When a lifter uses a shoe that provides more cushioning, the lower leg muscles need to stabilize the ankle in order to produce a force great enough to complete the squatting movement. These shoes also usually have an elevated heel of around one inch to help move the shins forward to allow your back to be put in a more upright position while squatting heavy.

In my opinion there are two methods when deciding what shoes you want to wear.

Converse Chuck Taylor

If you want something that has a solid sole yet isn’t 100% a weightlifting-specific shoe and doesn’t break the bank, you can go with a Converse Chuck Taylor.$49.99 at Amazon.com

Adidas Powerlift Trainer 2

If you specifically want something to work on movements like the squat, jerk, etc. then I would look more at something like the Adidas Powerlift Trainer 2. The prices of weightlifting shoes can vary from as low as around $75 to upwards of over $300.$129.99 at Amazon.com

8) Bench Shirts

On the higher end of the accessory price points would be the bench shirt. While not everyone would need a bench shirt, they are extremely helpful if you are a powerlifter or someone who simply wants to throw on the plates and do some serious benching. While not meant as a fashion statement, these shirts force you to keep your arms out in front of you, perpendicular to your body as if you were a mummy or zombie. The shirt helps store energy as you lower the bar towards your chest and helps push the bar back upwards from the bottom position of the bench. A good bench shirt allows the user to still arch the back when doing the benching movement and allows the lats to expand rather than constricting them due to the tightness of the fabric. Most bench shirts are extremely durable and virtually tear proof.

The Fury by Titan Support Systems

If this accessory is something you feel is up your alley, then I’d recommend starting with a lower-end bench shirt to see if it’s something you like before investing in a more expensive version. A good starting point would be The Fury by Titan Support Systems.$120.00 at Amazon.com

9) Slingshot

The creator of Slingshot, Mark Bell, was looking for a way to work on his bench press before inventing this product. He was trying to figure out a way to improve the lockout strength portion of the bench press movement. After some trial and error, the Slingshot was invented.

Slingshot

How the Slingshot works is in its ability to bring the arms together. So, as you bring the bar down towards your chest when benching, the Slingshot stretches out and by nature wants to stay contracted in its resting position. As you reach the bottom of the motion, where the bar is near your chest, stored energy is placed in the Slingshot, so as you push back up the Slingshot aids in helping bring the bar up to the near lockout position at the top of the exercise. Like with a bench shirt, this accessory can aid in helping you add on the pounds to your bench press. If this is something you’d be interested in, Amazon has it on their site under Slingshot and it comes in a couple different colors as well.$55.00 at Amazon.com

10) Kinesiology Tape

Kinesiology tape is a useful training accessory as long as you know how to use it and can properly apply it to yourself. There are areas, such as the back, where you will need someone else to help you apply it since you can’t reach every spot on your body.

This tape allows stabilization of the muscles and joints during physical activity such as exercise. If you find yourself with some type of soft tissue damage or pain in your muscles, joints, tendons, ligaments, or fascia, kinesiology tape will allow for some relief and allow you to still remain active. If you’re able to remain active, you have the ability to train hard and heavy.

Rocktape Kinesiology Tape For Athletes

With so many different brands out there today with several different colors and designs on their tape, it’s hard to just pick one recommendation. However, there does seem to be one brand that the reviews are extremely good on and that would be the RockTape Kinesiology Tape for Athletes. With around 40 variations of colors and designs, this ultra-strong and sticky tape should get the job done for your needs. It’s also water- and sweat-resistant to help hold through the most grueling workouts.$18.00 at Amazon.com

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